Oh my.  Angora Haze.  I don't think I've been more lovesick over a yarn since I fell hard for Kidsilk Haze, and I also don't think I have the vocabulary to quite express my affection for it either.  I always thought of Kidsilk Haze as being the Grace Kelly of yarns; elegant, beautiful and posh.  Now my darling KSH has a rival. 

This is my second sweater (and considering a third) knit with Rowan's newest,  Angora Haze.  The pattern Mila is from Kim Hargreaves new "Smoulder" book.  The project yarn was supposed to be Rowan Baby Alpaca DK which I know would have been absolutely lovely.  However, I was hell-bent on using AH again in this dainty pale beige/pink "Nest".  Plus I'm nutty for slouchy sweatshirty sweaters knit in luxurious yarns. 

If you've knit with angora before and had a bad experience (shedding during knitting and while wearing), well, I've had that bad experience too.  But this stuff is different, I had minimal shedding while knitting and wearing.  Angora does shed, and this does, but not much.  Do take that in mind if that sort of thing drives you crazy.  You can read about my modifications to accommodate for the gauge change on my Ravely page.

So, in conclusion: loved the yarn, loved the pattern, but mostly ~sigh~ I love feeling like I'm wearing a cloud.  As far as the knitting experience goes, it's beaut.  Angora itself does not have much give or bounce.  Rowan's Angora Haze is a blend of 69% angora with 20% polyamide and 11% wool to aid in stability and elasticity.  Angora is also warm.  Making AH a fingering weight yarn allows the fabric to be lightweight and fluid.  It's simply fabulous.  I preferred using my Karbonz needles as I like a good point, but I also tried it with dull bamboo needles and it was smooth knitting either way.

I'd like to add some practical advice:  I prefer to iron block my knits before and after finishing.  With Angora Haze you can use your iron to lightly block on the wrong side only, but do not allow the iron to touch the fabric, it will mat the fuzziness which is part of it's beauty.  My swatch washed well and blocked to size with no change in gauge and it retained it's fluff.  I haven't washed this sweater yet but I will report back and let you know how that goes.  I plan on being extra careful, it's worth the extra trouble.

I know that like me, you probably prefer to shop at your local yarn store.  I'm lucky that mine carries AH in every shade, but in case yours does not, here are some good links:




Until next time...xoxo